Haunted
by LeeLee777
Summary: It's been three years since Camelot was destroyed. Tragedy leaves Faith Yokas fighting for justice.Will she find it with the help of an old friend?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any Third Watch Characters, although I'd like to have Bosco for one night please : )

Haunted

She stared out the window, watching the snow fall softly to the ground. It had been a gentle winter so far, the harsh cold holding off until after the New Year. She couldn't help the ache that constantly sat in her heart. It seemed to grow even more as each crystal flake hit the ground. Memories flashed through her mind like a silent movie. Their childish laughter, though from years ago, still echoed in her mind.

It always happened like this. The dull throb in her chest would start, but just as soon as it began it faded, replaced with anger. An anger so deep and soul crushing that she felt she had to break things. But she wouldn't, not yet. She would save it, tuck every piece of hatred away until it was time. The time would come soon, she would make sure of that.

Her bloodshot eyes turned from the window and to the clock. Four a.m.. She didn't know why she bothered with the time anymore. It didn't matter. The hours came and went, she wasn't aware. For a brief second she wondered how long she had been sitting at this desk, it quickly left her mind. She didn't care. Her eyes went back to her desk, papers covered it like a blanket. She returned to the task at hand.

He watched for a few moments before entering. He was sure when he passed by an hour ago she had been in the same position, the same vacant stare. He had watched her like a hawk, wanting desperately for her to take a break. He wanted to force her to leave, at the same time fearing she would. Being nearby he could watch, make sure she was okay. Knocking gently on the door he waited for a response. None, not that he really expected it.

"Faith?" Swersky called quietly. She didn't respond, rereading the same file over and over again.

Although it had been three years since the new 55 was built, it wasn't until a week ago that Swersky thanked God that he made the decision to return to his position at the precinct. Most of the old faces were gone now, having moved on after the fateful events at Camelot. But Faith was here.

"Hey, Faith?" She glanced briefly in his direction, not answering. He didn't expect her to. " You been at that for hours..." He didn't bother trying to convince her to go get some rest, he knew she wouldn't. "...You want some coffee?" A small head shake was his response.

"Faith I..." This wasn't going to go over very well with her."...I got you someone, someone that will help you with this" He nodded towards the files piled on her desk.

"I don't want help " She never looked up.

"Well thats really not up to you..." He watched her jaw clench at his firmness."...You can't do this alone"

" Watch me " He sould feel the venom in her words. She was going to hate him for this. He didn't care. After yesterday she didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Yokas this not up for discussion " She finally looked at him, the use of her last name catching her attention.

"I can't have you running out of here like yesterday, going off to get yourself killed " He regretted his words instantly. Her attention back on the papers. He took a step forward.

"Look Faith, I'm worried about you..."

"Don't be" She cut him off.

"What you're dealing with...these people...it's dangerous Faith" He didn't need to tell her that, she already knew. She knew too well.

"As your boss..." He paused. It was more than that. He had known Faith for over ten years, she was family. "...I can't allow you to go out there without backup"

"I don't need backup..." She was angry, he didn't care. She may not care about the danger anymore but he did.

"Faith..."

"No, you're not hearing me... I can't waste my time picking up the pieces of a rookie who pisses his pants every five minutes cuz he's never heard the sound of real gunfire..." She picked up another file."...I will not babysit" Her words final.

" You don't have to " Her head shot up at the sound of the familiar voice.

" Meet your new partner, I believe you know eachother " Swersky wasn't sure, but he could swear that somewhere through the mask of anger he saw a glint of life, of hope, of faith. He was sure of it when she finally spoke.

" Bosco?..."


	2. Chapter 2

He watched her eyes carefully, searching for some kind of life

He watched her eyes carefully, searching for some kind of life. The tension in the air was tangible. She seemed to stare at him forever, or was she staring through him? He had been dreading the moment he had to see her. Compassion wasn't one of his strong suits, he was scared to death of how she would react to his prescence. He stared back, wanting desperately to look away. The vacancy in her eyes made his heart drop to his stomach.

"No" Was her only word as she looked back down to the paper in her hand.

"This is not up for discussion Faith…" She looked back up to Swersky. "….deal with it."

Swersky turned to leave, stopping momentarily to place a comforting hand on Bosco's shoulder. He gave a weak smile before walking out of the office. Bosco looked back to her.

Faith had been in a trance since she heard his voice. The moment she looked into his eyes she felt her heart break all over again. He was the only thing left. The only thing that could remind her of what used to be, of all that had been lost. Of everything that had been taken from her. It all came flooding back in those few seconds she stared into his deep dark eyes. She wanted to look away, her head screamed at her to. But she couldn't, it was like staring at a car accident. Except that it was her life that she saw, all of it, flash through her brain in a matter of moments. He brought it all back and she hated him for it.

"**Tears, idle tears**

**I know not what they mean. **

**Tears from the depth of some divine despair, **

**Rise in the heart and gather to the eyes, **

**In looking on the happy autumn fields**

**And thinking of the days that are no more"**

Neither of them spoke for what seemed like hours. She tried so hard to focus on the papers in front of her, trying so hard to push the memories from her head. Her heart

was bleeding, breaking any focus she had on the task at hand. She swallowed hard, willing him with her mind to go away.

He stood still, almost paralyzed by the fear that overcame him. He glanced down to the desk, wondering how many times she had gone through each file. Something caught his eye. A picture, one he had prayed to never see again. One taken at the scene, in what was once a living room, now only a room full of ghosts. He cleared his throat and moved to sit down, afraid his legs wouldn't hold out any longer. The picture reminding him of why he was there.

"Why didn't you call me?" He spoke softly but she was sure she caught a hint of anger in his voice. She followed his eyes to the picture sticking out from under the mound of papers. Her anger flared.

"It's been three years Bosco, what was I supposed to say?...Hey nice weather we're havin, by the way my whole family is dead?" She regretted her words the moment she said them. She hadn't said it yet. Maybe that's why she didn't call him, because although she knew it was true she couldn't bring herself to say it. She pushed the tears back down before they had a chance to be seen.

He swallowed hard, his heart beating rapidly. He watched as she withdrew inside herself immediately following her words.

"I could've been there…." He blinked, quickly brushing away the single tear that fell from his eye. "….I would've been there"

Truth be told she had wanted to call him. She picked up the phone a dozen times to tell him, knowing he would be there in a heartbeat. But she couldn't, for so many reasons she couldn't.

"I didn't want you there and I don't want you here now" She didn't have to see his eyes to know she had stung him.

"That's not gonna work"

"What?"

"Trying to hurt me to get me to walk away…it's not gonna work"

"It always has before" He knew she was right. He wanted to shrink away but he knew that he had to stay strong, he wouldn't let her words get to him.

"Well not this time" He watched her stand from the chair and gather a few papers, her gun and her keys.

"You're not staying Bosco, I don't care what Swersky says."

"You heard him, it's not up for discussion….where you goin?" She brushed past him.

"None of your damn business" He followed behind her.

"Get him out of here" She growled to Swersky as they passed him in the hallway. Bosco shrugged as they both followed Faith out of the building.

"Faith, stop, Faith!" She didn't slow her pace. It wasn't until she was at the car that they caught up to her.

"Dammit Faith, I can't have you running around here like some damn vigilante!" Faith froze at Swersky's words. She turned to face him with cold angry eyes.

"Vigilante?...make no mistake about Lieu, this is no act of vigilante…" She hissed.

"What do you call it then…justice?"

"Something like that…yeah"

"It's revenge Faith, that's what you're looking for and it's gonna get you killed!"

"Whatever it takes Lieu" Faith gave Swersky a final stare and got in the car. Before she could pull away Bosco was right next to her.

"Get out of the car Bosco" She was mad as hell.

"No"

"Now Bosco! I don't have time for your games…get out of the car!" Bosco fastened his seatbelt, further fueling her anger.

"I'm not leaving Faith…you're hell bent on makin every last one of these bastards pay…then I'm backing you up all the way" He stared into her eyes, making sure she knew not to waste anymore breath.

"We can sit here all night arguing Faith but it's not gonna solve anything, it's up to you…" Faith stared out the window. He was right, she didn't have the energy to argue with him. She needed to stay on track and focused. She leaned forward and started the car.

"Fine, you do whatever the hell you want…but stay out of my way"


	3. Chapter 3

They sat in silence as Faith drove through the quiet early morning streets. Neither had said a word since they had pulled away from the station. It was nearing 5:30am, Bosco watched the silent streets of New York slowly come to life with the early morning commuters. He wondered to himself where they could possibly be going. He didn't dare ask. Their years spent together as partners taught him when to leave well enough alone. Not that he ever really did, but in this case he knew better. He was tired, having come off a thirteen hour shift. It was his last shift at his new precinct, for now. His mind wandered to the moments before his shift began.

_Bosco quickly pulled on his vest as the locker room was clearing out._

"_Roll call, 2 minutes" He rolled his eyes at the announcement. Nothing had changed since he switched to his new precinct. He still ran in late at least twice a week. Today was no different. He finished dressing as fast as humanly possible, knowing full well it wouldn't matter, he would still be called out on his tardiness. _

_Hopping into roll call he pulled on his other shoe, letting the laces dangle until he took a seat. Assignments were given rather quickly, no major news to report on. As the room began to clear out he heard the captain call to him._

"_Boscorelli, hang back, I need to speak to you" Bosco took a deep breath. Why couldn't they just let it go, just once. He braced himself for the tongue lashing, but when he instead heard a familiar voice he felt his stomach sink. He looked up to see Lieutenant Swersky standing at the front of the room with his captain. He knew immediately something was wrong._

"_Lieu…" Bosco moved to Swersky, extending his hand to the man who used to treat him like his son._

"_Bosco…" Swersky gave a small smile, shaking Bosco's hand but quickly pulling him into an embrace. It had been a few years since they had last seen one another. Truth be told Swersky missed his old family at the 55, Bosco included. It was good to see him. "It's been some time"_

_There was a sadness to his voice. As happy as he was to see Bosco again, he knew the news he had for him was going to devastate him. Bosco slowly pulled back._

"_It's good to see you Lieu…." He could feel the lump in his throat form as he looked in Swersky's eyes. "…What are you doing here?"_

"_I should've come sooner, I just assumed she would have called you" Swersky said quietly._

_SHE…there was only one SHE he could be talking about, and Bosco wasn't sure he wanted to hear the rest._

"_Something happen to her?" Bosco asked, the tightness in his voice strangling him. He was sorry he asked. He stood there silently, a deep sorrow overtaking his body, one he had felt only twice in his life. Once when he got the news his brother was dead, the other September 11__th__. He listened as Swersky solemnly retold the details about the death of her family. His ears rung with every word, his breath becoming labored as he nearly fell into the chair behind him._

"_She needs you Bosco…" And that was all it took. Those four words were all he needed to get his ass out of the chair and onto the street to finish his last shift before he would be transferred back to his old home._

As he snapped back to the present he realized they had stopped. He looked around, trying to figure out where they were. He looked at her, she was staring in the direction of a buildings entrance. He didn't see anyone.

"What are we waiting for?" She didn't answer, just continued to stare. A few minutes went by in silence.

"Faith?..." She didn't even blink. "…Answer me, what are we….." Before he could finish his question she began to open the door. He looked again in the direction she had been staring and saw a figure come from around the building. He followed suit and got out of the car, walking quickly around to her side until he was following behind.

"You keep you mouth shut…" Faith warned. They walked towards the man causing him to jump as she called out his name.

" Damian!" Bosco recognized him immediately. It was a drug dealer from several years back that they used to harass from time to time. The man jumped and quickly turned to them.

"Shit man….you can't be creepin up on people like that"

"Oh, my sincere apologies" Faith quipped.

"Right, what do ya want Yokas?" Bosco stepped out from behind Faith.

"That any way to speak to a lady Damian? And it's Detective…" Faith clenched her jaw and shot him an angry look.

"Officer Boscorelli…." Damian snarled. "….long time no see"

"Aww, what's the matter D, you miss me?...you hear that Yokas? He missed me" Damian rolled his eyes.

"Yeah that's precious…are we done with the reunion?" She spoke directly to Bosco, warning him to back off. He took the warning and shut his mouth.

"Look man, this gonna take long…I'm tired I had a bad night"

"Yeah I bet" Bosco taunted.

"Man shut up" Damian spat back.

"I have a few questions I need answered" Faith said.

"Yeah? Well maybe I don't wanna answer 'em"

"No? Well I think the amount of blow we found on you tonight says you will" Faith shrugged. Damian rolled his eyes.

"Ah man, you ain't got nothing on me" Without hesitation Faith grabbed him and slammed him against the wall facing away from her. She pretended to search his pockets.

"Oh wow, would you look at this…" She dangled a few bags of cocaine in front of his face.

"Well that ain't good, what do you think Faith… an easy two at Rikers? With your record it could be more" Bosco laughed.

Faith let him go and he turned to face her.

"Come on man…" He was defeated and he knew it.

"So we have an understanding?" Faith asked. She took his silence as a yes.

"There was a department store robbery and shooting on 6th and Mercer, Christmas Eve….what do you know about it?"

"6th and Mercer? Man that's uptown, what makes you think I know something?"

"An eye witness says they were wearing your old gang colors..."

"I don't roll like that no more man…" Damian shrugged and turned to walk away. Faith quickly slammed him to the wall, twisting his arm around his back .

"I don't have time for your bullshit Damian! What have you heard?" Bosco stepped forward, ready to step in if Damian decided to fight back.

"You lookin to get yourself killed detective? You don't learn do you…." Faith tightened her grip and twisted harder causing Damian to yell.

"What did you say?" Faith felt the blood rush to her face. She could have easily snapped his arm with the anger she was feeling. Bosco stood by helplessly, there was no way he could stop her and he knew that.

"You went snoopin around down at the cages yesterday…askin the same stupid questions…." He grunted from the pain as she continued to twist. The cages was part of the neighborhood where junkies and dealers usually met up to make their deals.

"…yeah, heard you got roughed up…they all braggin bout how they beat down some bitch cop…." Before Faith could react to Damian's comments about the day before, Bosco had pulled him away from her and threw him to the ground. He kicked him in the ribs before kneeling on his back and pushing his head into the gravel.

"What did you say you piece of shit?" Bosco seethed with anger. Swersky had briefly told him about he danger Faith had gotten herself into the day before, which was why he had brought Bosco back.

"They had a real good time with you didn't they…." Damian continued to taunt her. Bosco lifted his head and slammed it back into the ground. Faith knelt next to him and brought her face close to his.

"Yeah, they had their fun…and I had mine…" Faith chuckled. "…now we're gonna have some fun…." Bosco watched as she pulled her gun from her holster, cocked it and held it to his head.


	4. Chapter 4

"Yeah, they had their fun…and I had mine…" Faith chuckled. "…now we're gonna have some fun…." Bosco watched as she pulled her gun from her holster, cocked it and held it to his head.

"Faith…" He had never seen her like this. He had to stop her before she did something she would regret.

"You tell me everything you know…NOW!" Faith yelled as she pushed the barrel of the gun into his temple.

"Faith, think about this…." Bosco pleaded, his words fell on deaf ears.

"You're crazy!" Damian yelled, fear evident in his voice. At his words, Faith pushed Bosco off of Damian. Bosco stumbled, surprised at her strength. He watched as she turned the shaking man over on the ground knelt on his chest and placed the gun directly between his eyes.

"I couldn't hear you, what did you say?" Faith squinted and leaned her ear closer. Bosco leaned down. "Faith…this isn't the way…" He was interrupted by Damian's shaking voice.

"I said you're one crazy bitch! I don't know shit!" A shot suddenly rang out as Faith fired a round at the cement next to Damian's head.

"What the fu?!" Damian cried.

"Jesus Faith!!"

"You think I won't do it?! Huh?!...Tell me why my witness saw your crew come from a murder scene!!" She pressed the gun to his forehead.

"There ain't no witness aright!..There ain't no witness…" Damian was practically sobbing.

"What do you mean there's no witness?" Faith was shocked that was the last thing she expected to hear. Bosco ran a hand through his hair, his heart raced. She was going to kill this guy in cold blood and his mind was racing on how he was going to cover for her.

"There's no witness, they paid him…paid him to lie…please man, I got a baby now, don't kill me" Faith eased up on the pressure of the gun.

"Who paid him?"

"I don't know" She pressed the gun again. He trembled beneath her. "I swear aright! I swear I don't know…I ain't involved in that shit anymore…that's just the word on the street…that's all I know I swear" The man cried.

"Faith, come on…Faith" Bosco gently pulled at her arm. "…he's telling the truth, let's go" Faith was almost in shock. This revelation, if it were true, would change everything about their deaths. Her heart beat unsteadily in her chest, pounding so loud that it was the only sound she could hear. Then she heard Bosco's voice cutting through. It was distant and soft, but comforting.

"Faith…let him go…come on" He spoke quietly pulling her body up from the ground. She took a few steps back and looked at the man she had been on the verge of killing only moments before. He lay there, hands now in front of his face. Bosco made sure she was okay then turned back to Damian. He leaned down and yanked his hands away from his face.

"Look at me you prick…" He didn't move. "….I said look at me" He grabbed his chin and forced him to look into his eyes. "I find out you're lying, and you won't have to worry about her cuz I'll kill you myself…you understand?" The man nodded his head. Bosco rose to his feet and turned towards Faith. She was standing in the same spot he had left her, staring off into space. He walked up to her and touched her hand with the gun in it that was now hanging at her side.

"Faith? You okay?" She was brought out of her daze by the gentle sound of his voice.

"Yeah…I'm good" For a brief moment he saw the vulnerability in her eyes. The part of her that wanted to break down, scream for him to help her. But it was quickly masked over with the same look he had seen when he had first seen her at the precinct.

"Let's go" She turned without another word and went to the car.

As Faith drove, Bosco's mind went back to Damian's words. Yeah, he thought about what he had said about the witness being paid. What he was more concerned with was what he had said about Faith. She was putting herself in more danger than he could bear to stand. He wondered for a moment if she even cared. If it were his children who were killed he probably wouldn't care about his own life either. But he cared about her, he gave a damn about her life, even if she didn't.

They drove in silence once again. Faith's mind couldn't wrap around the latest news. The witness was paid. Why? Who was being protected? Then again Damian could be lying. Why would he though? In her experience a man with a gun to his head usually became honest Abe. Faith could feel Bosco's eyes on her. Part of her was so relieved when he walked through the door earlier, wishing he could make it all better. The other part of her knew that it didn't matter. He couldn't make this go away. Even when she found their killer, even when she inflicted the same pain upon them as they did to her flesh and blood, it wouldn't go away. Nothing would bring her babies back. At this point it was about revenge, an eye for an eye.

Faith reached into the backseat, pulling a thin folder without even looking at it. She had been through these files so many times she knew them inside and out. She handed the file to Bosco.

"Walter Sanchez, what's the address?" Bosco took the file and quickly opened it. He didn't even need to ask who Walter Sanchez was or why she wanted the address.

"116 and Amsterdam" He stated matter of factly and closed the file. They were going to pay a visit to the so called "witness" and he braced himself for what he was sure would come. Faith stepped on the gas and sped through the slick streets. A thin layer of snow had blanketed the city over the last few hours but was not building up thanks to the bright sun that now rose above the horizon.

After only a few minutes they stopped in front of a small apartment building. Bosco followed Faith as she slipped into the open door. Without missing a step she was up five flights of stairs and came to rest at Sanchez's door. Faith didn't waste too much of her time with banging on the door, within minutes she broke it open and was racing through the living room. Bosco was behind her, weapon in hand backing her up since she didn't seem to care about her safety.

"Sanchez!" Faith yelled as she barreled through the rooms. As she came from the bedroom she heard a voice at the front door.

"What the fu?!" Faith recognized him immediately. True to form Sanchez turned and ran. "Ah shit" Bosco had been coming from another room when he heard the voice of a man then watched as Faith ran after him into the hallway.

Bosco followed cursed as Sanchez, now about to enter the stairway, down the other end of the long corridor, released the leash of the massive pitbull that was tagging along with him. Faith who had almost caught up to Sanchez was directly in the line of attack. Bosco

watched in horror as the angry animal brought Faith to the floor, jaw wrapping tightly around her arm.


	5. Chapter 5

Faith let out a deafening cry as she hit the floor. Survival mode kicked in and she did all she could to shield her face so it wasn't next in the attack. Bosco snapped into rescue mode as he watched the dog pin Faith with his weight and vice grip on her arm. He yelled as he ran towards them, raising his gun and firing it into the air. He prayed the sound of the gunshot alone would scare the animal enough to back off. He saw the dog flinch at the loud noise and fired once more, this time coming closer.

"Get outta here!!!! Go!!" This time the dog actually let go of Faith's arm and looked at Bosco and started barking. Not letting any chance of the animal resume his attack, Bosco fired two more shots. The dog's ears went straight back and he turned away, breaking into a run down the hallway and around the corner. Keeping his gun firmly planted in hand, just in case, Bosco turned to Faith who was already getting to her feet.

"Jesus, you okay?!" Concerned laced his voice when he saw the tears in her coat and blood seeping through. He reached out a hand to help her but she yanked it away.

"I'm good Bosco! Get Sanchez!" Her arm throbbed but she was more concerned with their runaway. Bosco didn't listen, he grabbed her injured arm to get a better look. Once again Faith pulled it away. "Let go! We're letting him get away!!" She pushed past him with a strength she didn't think she had left and began running in the direction Sanchez had gone. It was no use, by the time she reached the street Sanchez was gone.

"Dammit!" Faith panted as she looked around. Bosco arrived behind her seconds later and hung his head.

"You let him get away" Bosco's head snapped up.

"Excuse me?" He replied, shock and annoyance clear in his voice. She turned towards him.

"I thought you were here to help me, wasn't that your purpose here?" Faith snapped.

"Oh I'm sorry I was a little busy….keeping you from getting eaten alive by that monster back there!" Bosco was furious.

"You wanted to help but you let the key person in this whole mess get away! How could you be so stupid?" She finished with a whisper and walked past him towards the car. The shock wore off quickly then he turned after her.

"How could **I **be so stupid? Are you kidding me? You're running around this city like the Goddamn Punisher or something and I'm stupid?" He grabbed at the shoulder of her coat and spun her around when they reached the car.

"Oh, suddenly you're president of the ethics committee?! That's rich coming from you Bosco. God forbid ANYONE ever messed with you or your family and you were out for blood!…." She paused and lowered her voice to just above a whisper, holding the emotions back. "…Well try having someone kill them Bosco , in cold blood, while they begged for their lives…." Bosco saw raw emotion pouring from her eyes. "…Then we'll see what you do…"

"I have Faith, or did you forget about Mikey? That sonofabitch Mann took him out, then my Ma, then me…"

"Yeah and who handled it Bosco? I did…just like I'm gonna handle this" She started to turn . Not caring that she had just confessed to Bosco something she swore she would never tell him. Bosco wasn't letting her get away that easy. He pushed at her shoulder forcing her to stay in place.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She was defeated. She didn't care anymore if he knew she was capable of cold blooded murder.

"Come on Bosco, if you weren't bleeding to death in some operating room you would have done the same thing..." As if all the pieces had just fallen together, realization dawned on him. The news of Donald Mann's death, the missing pieces that Bosco never tried putting together, it was clear to him now.

"It was you?" Half question, half statement. But all shock. How could he have never known. Faith just stared into his hurt eyes. "How could you never tell me that? Why?"

"It doesn't matter Bosco. I'd do it again…" With more determination than ever Faith stood tall and moved away from Bosco's hold. The memory of the satisfaction she had felt when she had killed Mann was flooding back to her veins. She yearned for that same feeling now. She needed to see the pain on the face of the person responsible for her families death. "….I'm gonna find who did this Bosco, and when I do they'll be begging

me to be as easy on them as I was to Mann…If you can't handle that, then leave."

*******************************************************************

Once again they rode in silence. Bosco had so many thoughts and emotions flying through him right now. His concern for Faith was outweighing all of them. He needed her to let him in, but he knew full well it may never happen. He thought about Mann, and how she never told him it had been her who inflicted the revenge on him. He didn't know if he was angry, grateful, sorry or just plain proud of her. He sure as hell wasn't judging her. It would have been his first instinct too if the roles had been reversed.

He glanced in her direction. Her left hand held the wheel, while her right arm sat heavily on the console between them. He could see the blood through the rips in her sleeve from the dog attack. He knew it must have hurt like hell. Without a word he reched into his back pocket and pulled out a clean hankerchief. He shifted in his seat so he was halfway facing her and carefully lifted her arm.

"You're right…" He said as he lifted the sleeve of her coat to reveal the fresh wound. He winced slightly as he did so, seeing the flash of discomfort on her face.

"…about Mann. About what I would have done if I was able to….you're right" Faith felt her heart thump heavily in her chest. She tried to remain focused on the road but Bosco's gentle touch and soft words were making it difficult. Why was he being so nice to her? She had been so cold and hurtful only minutes before.

Bosco wrapped the cloth around her injured arm, careful not to tie it too tightly, and placed it back down on the console. He shifted in his seat so he was facing forward again and glanced down at the few drops of her blood he had gotten on his hands. He prayed silently that when this was all over he wouldn't see anymore.

"We should really get that looked at" Bosco said quietly. He figured his words would be wasted but he had to try. Faith glanced at him. She could see the telltale signs of concern written on his face. She felt sorry for the harsh way she was treating him and decided to give him an inch.

"Okay, but I have something to do first" Bosco felt a small ounce of relief when she agreed, maybe he was helping. Maybe he was getting through to her just a little.

Bosco was even more relieved when they pulled up in front of the precinct. At least he knew she wasn't going to get herself into trouble there. He followed her in the building and past the stares of fellow officers. When they reached her office Faith went in but Bosco stopped at the door.

"I'm gonna grab a cup of coffee, you want?"

"No thanks" With nod Bosco left the office.

Faith went straight for her desk and dug beneath the papers. She quickly found what she was looking for and pulled it out. Walking over to her small television she popped the tape into the VCR. It was something she had already watched a dozen times. Pressing rewind she waited a few moments then pressed play. A black and white scene appeared before her.

Bosco stepped into the doorway just as a picture came on the screen. He almost dropped his coffee when he realized what he was seeing.

It was Emily and Charlie. Right there on the screen in black and white. They were smiling and looking at something. John Miller stood next to them. Bosco couldn't see what they were looking at but he assumed it was a piece of jewelry since they were standing at the jewelry counter of the department store. Christmas decorations surrounded the counter and the kids held shopping bags in their hands. It was a lovely silent scene that would quickly turn into tragedy.

Bosco wasn't sure if he could handle this. Faith sat just s few feet from the screen studying it closely. He stepped closer, his stomach starting to turn. He didn't bother to stop her from watching, he knew it was something she had seen already.

Back on the screen, John Miller turned suddenly. He stepped away from the kids towards the edge of the screen. It looked as if he was talking to somebody, somebody not within view of the security camera. Emily and Charlie had not turned yet. They continued talking to the salesperson. They looked happy. John Miller on the other hand did not. He seemed agitated, repeatedly glancing back to where Emily and Charlie stood. He was quietly arguing with someone. Suddenly a flash of fear ran across his face and he spun around to where Charlie, who only seconds before was laughing, now lurched forward from the impact of the bullet into his back.

Bosco was going to be sick. He felt the tears burning his eyes. The bile in his stomach churning. He stared at the TV in horror. The rest of the scene seemed to drag on even though it only took a few seconds to play out.

There was no sound coming from the TV but you could see the shock and confusion on Emily's face. She spun around as Charlie hit the glass display case only to be slammed with a bullet to the chest herself. She flew backwards, landing on the floor next to her brother. John Miller wasn't far behind them. He seemed to be frantically yelling and as he ran towards them he too was riddled with bullets.

Suddenly the tape stopped. Bosco snapped out of his horrified daze as Faith rewound it to the beginning when John had turned to talk to the person who had obviously been the one to kill them.

"Faith please…don't…I can't" Bosco fell forward, dropping his coffee and grabbing the trashcan. The sound of him vomiting profusely didn't deter Faith from her task. As his heaving ceased he stared up at Faith in amazement. How could she watch this over and over again?

Faith got closer to the screen. The first time she had seen it, and the times after, she had focused on her children. She tortured herself daily with the video, relishing in their smiles only to be destroyed by their murders. She watched as a reminder, a way to keep her focused on the task at hand. Finding the bastard who had done this and making them pay. She never thought to look more closely at the moments before. They had a witness, they had leads. They didn't details like body language. But now it with the revelation that the witness had been paid, it was as if she was watching the tape with new eyes.

She watched again. This time her eyes focused solely on John Miller. Her boyfriend, the man who had said he loved her, who said he wanted to make her his wife. She watched his movements, his facial expressions. They weren't actions of a man terrified for his life and the lives of the children just feet from him. The weren't the actions of an experienced detective who was trying to calm a thief and keep him from robbing a store.

They were the actions of a man who knew the person standing across from him. The were the actions of a man who seemed annoyed that this person was there. A man who was trying to keep the conversation quiet as to not draw the attention of anyone else.

"I can't believe I didn't see it before…" Bosco stared at Faith. Horror and shock were written across her face.

"…John knew him…this wasn't random Bosco…" Faith stood and looked at Bosco. "…this wasn't a robbery gone wrong…this was an execution…"


End file.
